THE government will not allow large-scale year end celebrations after detecting two Omicron variant cases in the space of one month, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.

However, he said small, private gatherings between close family and friends are allowed.

“Those coming to small and private celebrations for New Year’s Eve will have to self-test first,” he said.

Earlier today, Khairy said a new Omicron variant case had been detected, with an eight-year-old Malaysian girl testing positive on December 7 after returning from Nigeria with her mother and sister on December 5.

Khairy said Nigeria would be added to the ministry’s list of high-risk nations.

This is the second Omicron case, the first was detected on December 3 when a 19-year-old South African student studying in Ipoh entered the country through Singapore.

The student arrived on November 19, five days before the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared Omicron a variant of concern.

Previously, Khairy said travellers coming from high-risk countries at KLIA would have to wear a digital tracking device throughout their quarantine period. – December 16, 2021.